Taking advantage of the Turkic Legion's massive march eastward and blocking Zijin Pass and Shengyuguan with all their strength, while the rebels in Western Xinjiang were busy fighting for territory and had no time to take into account the precious opportunity in Metasequoia City, Li Jiangyao and the others began a vigorous army reorganization. Prepare for war.
Ma Mu mobilized the young and strong people in the city to work day and night according to the construction drawings designed by Li Jiangyao to continuously strengthen the city defenses of Metasequoia City. At the same time, they also built several wooden and stone fortresses on the north and south sides of the city to enhance their ability to coordinate the defense of the city.
The people who originally lived in the tent areas outside the city all moved into the city and were properly resettled in batches. Correspondingly, when the people came in and the army came out, except for Lin Feng's rear army who was still stationed in the city, the other armies moved into the military camp outside the city, training their troops and horses while guarding the metasequoia.
The five-way army that had been reorganized began to increase its combat power on a large scale according to the training methods that Li Jiangyao had brought from the modern world, combined with the professional training of the Shengtang Martial Arts Hall.
According to his request, the soldiers got up at nine o'clock every day, put on heavy armor, weapons, and armor, carried thirty kilograms of weight, and marched ten miles on foot. After reaching the finish line, the men and horses continued to lift stone locks, carry giant trees, and push rolling discs without rest, in order to enhance everyone's physical fitness level.
As for his white-robed army, the training standards were doubled.
In addition, all white-robed warriors must be proficient in various combat skills on horseback and on foot, especially in the use of strong bows and crossbows, and must be able to penetrate the enemy with a hundred steps.
While implementing intensive training, Li Jiangyao also personally presided over the work of improving weapons and armor. Metasequoia City was originally an important trading town. There were many blacksmith workshops in the city, including many famous and skilled craftsmen in Western Xinjiang. Under his guidance, hundreds of craftsmen improved the raw materials of long knives, iron spears and armor, significantly increasing their hardness and toughness. The most exaggerated thing is that Li Jiangyao also ingeniously designed a new arrow, which not only allows the bow and arrow to shoot farther and has stronger penetrating power, but also has a barb. Once it pierces the body, it must be pulled out. It only takes a large piece of flesh to be torn off, which often makes the person hit by the arrow feel extremely painful.
In the subsequent battle to regain Western Xinjiang, the Turks and rebels who suffered so much from this arrow gave it a resounding name - "Heartless Arrow."
In the year 821 of the Holy Tang Calendar, when the entire Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang fell into great chaos, a weak force known as the "Metasequoia Garrison" unexpectedly appeared quietly, surrounded by powerful enemies. Slowly growing.
It is like a weak flame, tenaciously holding on to that little bit of light and heat in the raging wind. When the opportunity comes, it will set off a prairie fire without hesitation.
-
Murong Xue came out of the Xu Mansion and as soon as he returned to the guardhouse of the Forbidden Army's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, he received an order from the East Palace to discuss the garrison shift for the next month. Murong Xue quickly arranged her clothes and hurried to the East Palace while thinking about the scene of her chat with Mr. Xu Liexu just now.
The majestic imperial capital, the seat of the emperor, has probably never faced such a complicated situation in the past eight hundred years.
Externally, there is a disastrous defeat in Western Xinjiang and a border crisis; internally, there are court battles and hidden dangers among powerful officials. Hundreds of thousands of troops gathered outside the imperial capital, each with their own affiliation, and their intentions were unpredictable.
As the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry who guarded the emperor's safety, all the soldiers of the Forbidden Army, including Murong Xue, felt an unprecedented pressure.
Just yesterday, the Hundred Thousand Long Sword Legion finally arrived here. Looking at the flags, swords and guns that were blocking the sun, his worry couldn't help but deepen a little more.
"Grandpa Xu, Lu Yaokun from the Ministry of War is so cruel!" As a junior, Murong Xue always said what she had to say directly in front of Mr. Xu Liexu: "I wonder what they really think? The Sixth Army's drills are casual. It's enough to send a few battalions to participate. Why do they have to mobilize almost the entire army? Not only that, they also brought in all kinds of siege equipment, including trebuchets, divine arm crossbows, tower carts, battering rams, etc. There are hundreds of them! Are you planning to attack the imperial capital?"
"Hmm... um..." Xu Lie mumbled while dozing off with his eyes closed: "Keep talking... um..."
Murong Xue sighed helplessly, and continued: "There is also the issue of camp deployment. It was originally agreed that the army participating in the exercise would be stationed in Bashang, close to the exercise field on the Western Plateau, which would also facilitate military operations. However, When he came to the scene, he suddenly decided to camp around the imperial capital. The reason was to hold a holy military parade, so that His Majesty could avoid the hardship of traveling and traveling. The two legions of Xuanjia and Changdao were spread out in all directions, seemingly occupying the area intentionally or unintentionally. They moved to various important areas outside the city. Instead, the main force of your old Qilin Army was left far away in Jiyang City. Only the original less than 20,000 golden Qilin troops were stationed in the imperial capital. What if..."
"Ahem...what if...what if? Ahem..." Xu Lie asked laboriously.
Murong Xue gritted her teeth: "What if Xie Guang plots something evil?"
Hearing this, Xu Lie suddenly opened his wrinkled eyelids, stared at Murong Xue, and snorted lightly: "Xie Guang? Does he dare? Ahem... Will the soldiers outside follow him to attack his emperor? "
Murong Xue was stunned when she heard this and did not answer for a while.
Just listen to Xu Lie continue: "My soldiers of Shengtang, ahem... the most important thing is the word 'loyalty'. Rebels and thieves are also the most shameful. Ahem... Xie Guang? He is not The essential……"
"Xie Guang is not the key? Then who is?" Murong Xue asked in surprise.
Xu Lie didn't answer him, just pointed outside, then closed his eyes and dozed off again.
As Murong Xue walked, she pondered Mr. Xu's actions, and the more she thought about it, the more shocked she became.
Especially the last action of the old man pointing out the window can be understood as asking him to leave, or it can also be specifically pointing out the so-called "key".
Judging from the location of the Grand Commander's Mansion, where is the direction Xu Lie's finger is pointing?
The nearest place should be Prince Liang's Mansion opposite the Grand Commander's Mansion. The old Liang King Li Jinqi is the uncle of the emperor Li Chengwu. He is nearly ninety years old and has been a happy prince all his life. He is probably not a key figure. Then what? It's the capital water supervisor. Next to the Capital Water Supervisory Office is the Yamen of the Ministry of Industry. One street beyond the Ministry of Industry is Taipu Temple, and behind Taipu Temple is the Royal Palace.
Palace?
Murong Xue carefully thought about the layout of the palace, and according to that direction, it was the East Palace that he was going to now.
East Palace!
This question immediately shocked Murong Xue into a cold sweat.
Li Bing, the Crown Prince of the Holy Tang Dynasty, who is in charge of the East Palace, is the orphan of the late emperor Li Chengwen and the nephew of the current emperor Li Chengwu.
Twenty years ago, the late emperor died suddenly, and the Jin rebellion broke out. Nian Jinsong, He Jingming and others supported Lu Wang Li Chengwu to ascend the throne and entered into a sacred covenant with him, which was passed down to Li Bing, who was still in his infancy at that time.
From then on, Li Bing took over the East Palace as the Crown Prince of Shengtang and the sole heir to the throne.
Could it be that the crown prince, who is now past his prime, has any secret connection with Xie Guang?
To be honest, during the 20 years since the "replacement emperor" Li Chengwu has been in power, his governance style of "governing by doing nothing" has been quite popular. On the whole, the Shengtang was in good weather and the country was peaceful and the people were peaceful, so the throne became more and more secure.
Unlike his brother Li Chengwen, who only had one queen, Li Chengwu was gentle, elegant, and free-spirited. In his harem, there were so many beauties that it was overcrowded, and naturally he also gave birth to a lot of sons. There are as many as thirty-six princes who have gone through the coronation ceremony, and twelve of them have been canonized as princes or princes, with prominent status.
On weekdays, these direct princes are all working hard, looking for various opportunities to show off their so-called "imperial talents" in martial arts and martial arts. The emperor Li Chengwu seems to be quite appreciative of his sons, often in front of them. The courtiers encouraged them greatly.
Everyone in the court had already begun to discuss privately: Is the sacred covenant signed when the emperor succeeded to the throne still fulfilled? Will the throne of the Prince of the East Palace change to someone else?
Murong Xue thought to herself: Could it be that Prince Li Bing couldn't stand it anymore in the face of the current situation?
Don't tell me, Murong Xue's guess is pretty close.
At this moment, Li Bing, the prince of the Shengtang Dynasty, was planning to end his career as crown prince early and directly ascend to the throne of the Nine-Five-Year Supreme Emperor.
The reason why Li Bing made this determination, apart from the pressure from his cousins who were eyeing him and the slightly ambiguous attitude of his uncle Li Chengwu, was the most important reason: Nian Jinsong and He Jingming were both dead.
As early as three years ago, that is, in the year 818 of the Holy Tang Calendar, Lao Jianhua, who had served in the Nilin Division of the Bei Ya Forbidden Army and later disappeared, suddenly sent someone to visit the Crown Prince Li Bing to replace the commander-in-chief of the Xuanjia Army. Xie Guang bridged the gap and proposed that the Xuanjia Legion was determined to be loyal to the prince and support Li Bing's early succession.
Although Li Bing had deeply realized the crisis of the throne at that time, he did not easily agree to Xie Guang and Lao Jianhua's plan.
The reason is simple. Nian Jinsong is still there, and so is He Jingming. He firmly believed that the existence of the two giants of the Holy Tang Dynasty, civil and military, was enough to ensure the effectiveness of the sacred covenant, and the foundation of the throne had not been fundamentally shaken.
Therefore, as the only legal heir to the throne, Prince Li Bing really has no reason to take huge risks and choose the path of rebellion and seizing power.
Besides, to be serious, the emperor's uncle Li Chengwu was still very good to him and took good care of him. It was just that the number of eunuchs and maids in the East Palace was half less than that in his son Prince Rui's palace; it was just that he wanted to go to Liubu to practice and study. He rejected it and let his son Prince Jun go instead; it was just that he fell in love with the princess from Goryeo who came to marry him, so in the end he gave his son Prince Jun.
These things are nothing.
Li Bing comforted himself, I am already the crown prince, why should I care about that with my cousins? Why do you still have to embarrass your imperial uncle who has always been kind to you?
However, the death of Grand Tutor Nian Jinsong last winter finally began to make him feel uneasy.
Just after the first seven days of Nian Jinsong, Prince Li Bing sent his confidants to secretly contact Xie Guang and asked Shang Zhuguo whether the things he told him before were still counted now. Unexpectedly, the other party sent a reply on the same day: As long as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is willing to rise up and speak out, Xie Guang, a humble minister, will do his best!
To be honest, Li Bing still feels a little bit overwhelmed by the extremely exciting thing of "climbing high and shouting" because he is afraid of heights. As a result, he temporarily shelved the idea of ascending to the throne in advance. Li Bing planned to wait and see. After all, Commander He Jingming was still there. If he and Xie Guang were fooling around without telling him, he would be in trouble for Commander He.
However, Li Bing did not expect that it would not take long for the news of He Jingming's unfortunate murder to reach the imperial capital - He Jingming, the famous general of Shengtang, the pillar of the country, the commander of the Fierce Blade Army and the protector of the Zhenjiang Protectorate, was rushing to Western Xinjiang. He was ambushed on the way to the front line and unfortunately died.
As soon as he got the bad news, the Crown Prince immediately stopped hesitating: It was better to climb up quickly and call out. If he didn't climb up, he might not be able to climb up.
